I am so in awe of Katie Kellar, the Dallas teen who stepped up to share with me her story of suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder in the hope that it would help others seek the help they need.

Now, thanks to more people speaking up (does it help, I wonder, that there’s a major character on Glee with OCD?), there is more support than ever before for this neuropsychiatric disorder defined by recurring unwelcome thoughts and repetitive behaviors. A local nonprofit, OCD Texas, launched in the fall of 2010 as an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation. The group is having its next meeting Saturday at the Palace Arts Center in Grapevine and it’s FREE. You can get the details about the meeting on its website here. And you can read my story about Katie and OCD here.

PHOTO: Audrey Hoff, 7, jumps off the end of a bed while Eli Hoff, 5, jumps on the bed for his turn while babysitter Katie Kellar, 16, holds Cece Hoff, 1, at a Dallas home on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Katie suffered secretly from obsessive compulsive disorder from ages 12-15. Before she got help, she would rush home after babysitting and bathe and change her clothes to disinfect herself from contact with the kids.